Weathered Shapes, Wooden Quilts
Often given as gifts, or passed down through generations, quilts provide reminders of the past and people we love. What if that quilt was made from salvaged, reclaimed, and discarded materials like worn wooden planks, split doors, cracked cabinets, and warped boards, their history visible in the chipped colors, weathered shapes, and speckled nail holes? Quilts can also be a source of inspiration, as the maker can express creativity and artisanship in the unique designs of the quilt. It is often a patchwork of many different fabrics, colors, and textures, sometimes representing different aspects of the maker’s life and can serve as a reminder of the power of love and kindness.
Born in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey, Laura now lives on the Northshore of Boston with her husband, two dogs, and cat. She earned an MS in Fashion Design from Drexel University and an MFA in Studio Arts from Moore College of Art and Design. She has been teaching as an elementary-level art teacher for more than 15 years, as well as presenting lectures and workshops to adults. Click here for additional information about Laura.
Come experience the new Gallery exhibition and meet the artist, Laura Petrovich-Cheney, on Sunday, March 19 from 2:00-3:00pm.
April 14 – September 15, 2024
Perspective Play by Drew Katz
The exhibition: Perspective Play uses drone photography to capture the intriguing geometric shapes, patterns, and lines of sports fields and courts as seen from above.
Artist statement: Perspective Play is a collection of photographs taken while looking down from up above athletic fields and courts by using a drone. Visually, I am drawn to these surfaces because of the way that simple geometric shapes are arranged in interesting ways. When the lines and elements that make up the boundaries for different sports are combined onto one field, they create an abstract and confusing image that inspires me to make this artwork. It is surprising to me how different each field is from one another. Each is unique, like a snowflake, with the different colored surfaces and varied conditions of each field.
About the artist: Drew Katz is a commercially certified drone pilot, photographer, designer, and creative director with over 20 years of experience working for companies in industries ranging from healthcare to hospitality. His food and beverage photography has been used by Boston Magazine, The Boston Globe, Boston.com, Eater, Zagat’s, and more. While Drew primarily uses his drone to document commercial properties for work, he always finds a way to stray off the flight path to capture photos for his fine art body of work. He has been exhibiting his works, taken from the land and air, all over the country since 2005.
Past Shows
Slate Lines
By Sarah E. JenkinsSeptember 24, 2023 – March 24, 2024
Weathered Shapes, Wooden Quilts
By Laura Petrovich-CheneySeptember 4, 2023
Small Stories: Vignettes in Blue
By Renee RomeroNovember 14, 2022 – February 26, 2023
Love and Maya
By Sneha ShresthaAugust 6, 2022 – November 13, 2022
Protect Trans Dreams: A Portrait Project
By Noah GrigniApril 13, 2022-July 24, 2022
Future Shows
Sneha Shreshta, also known as IMAGINE
August – DecemberApril 13, 2022-July 24, 2022
Protect Trans Dreams: A Portrait Project
by Noah Grigni
Protect Trans Dreams: A Portrait Project, features a series of large-scale acrylic portraits by artist Noah Grigni (they/them).These portraits, displayed alongside Grigni’s original watercolor illustrations from the children’s book It Feels Good To Be Yourself by Theresa Thorn, celebrate transgender (trans) kids and their visions for the future.
The paintings portray each child on their own terms, in the fantasies they imagined. Some are silly and playful, others earnest and serious. To create these portraits, Grigni connected with 7 trans kids across New England, ranging in ages from 6 to 12 and interviewed them about their dreams. The paintings illustrate the ideas they described, including visions that range from making music and writing stories, to intricate scenes of fallen angels crying tears of joy, and celestial wolves circling in the sky. The scenes depicted in these portraits, painted using soft and vibrant jewel tones, are connected by motifs of stars and flowers, and by simple circles reminiscent of halos framing each child’s head. The halos serve as a reminder that the dreams of trans children—just like the dreams of all children—are sacred, and deserve to be nurtured and celebrated.
The portraits are displayed alongside watercolor illustrations by Noah from the book It Feels Good To Be Yourself by Theresa Thorn. The book was created to introduce and celebrate the concept of gender identity for young readers. The exhibition also features a cozy book nook with drawing prompts focusing on identity and dreams, inviting museum visitors to read, write, and create their own masterpieces highlighting their dreams.
